Feng Caiwei indeed shone brilliantly thanks to that piece of calligraphy.
Zhou Wangfei praised it endlessly upon seeing it, declaring that among noblewomen, Feng Caiwei’s handwriting was already at the top tier. Her words made even Madam Feng beam with delight.
She had always known that Feng Caiwei was outstanding, but she hadn’t expected this moment to arrive so quickly or so smoothly.
On the way back, in the carriage, Madam Feng personally sat with Feng Caiwei, held her hand, and said, “With the praise you received from Zhou Wangfei today, you’ll soon become renowned among the noble ladies of the capital.”
After all they’d endured to reach this day, even Madam Feng—normally composed and reserved with age—couldn’t help but get emotional. Her voice choked as she said, “The family has suffered so much to get here. Caiwei, you mustn’t let us down. You must go as far as possible—reach the very top!”
Feng Caiwei remained calm, even passing her grandmother a handkerchief. She spoke gently, “Don’t worry, Grandmother. Your granddaughter understands.”
Madam Feng wiped her eyes and nodded, though still worried. “Only thing is… we missed a good opportunity. With your looks and talents, when the Imperial Grandson came by the other day, you should’ve stepped forward then.”
Feng Caiwei tugged at the corners of her lips and shook her head with a smile. “It’s not like that, Grandmother. Only once I’m already standing in a high enough place will His Highness see me—remember me. This kind of thing can’t be rushed.”
Madam Feng looked at her with both comfort and pride. “You’re always so logical. Tomorrow you’ll meet the Empress—you must be respectful. I expect the Imperial Grandson will also be there…”
At this, Feng Caiwei couldn’t help but recall what Qi Wang had written in his letters.
He said that Xiao Yunting appeared gentle on the surface but wielded thunderous means behind the scenes.
The fall of the Liu family, the downfall of Duke Chu’s household—on the surface, none of it was linked to him, but in truth, it had all been orchestrated by Xiao Yunting and Qi Yuan.
That alone made Feng Caiwei understand Qi Wang’s point.
A man like that wouldn’t be drawn to delicate, greenhouse-raised flowers—that’s why he was drawn to Qi Yuan.
But Feng Caiwei was confident she could do better than Qi Yuan.
Even after meeting Qi Yuan in person, she still thought so.
That girl was too sharp—like a sword always on the verge of being unsheathed. To love her must be exhausting.
Men in this world were all the same—what’s hard to get is tempting, but if it’s too hard to get, they simply give up and move on.
Feng Caiwei rubbed her eyes and smiled at Madam Feng, “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
Meanwhile, in another carriage, Second Madam Qi let out a long breath. She could hardly believe it—she had taken Qi Yuan out, and nothing had happened? They were really on their way home peacefully?
She kept sneaking glances at Qi Yuan, cautiously asking, “Ah Yuan… are you alright?”
Second Madam Qi wasn’t sure what was wrong with her these days, but if she went anywhere with Qi Yuan and nothing happened, she felt strangely unsettled.
Qi Yuan raised her brows and suddenly smiled at her. “I’m fine. I feel great.”
Yes—she felt great.
She had seen another side of Feng Caiwei, which made her recall many things from her past life.
She had suddenly grown curious about the Feng family and Feng Caiwei.
And it wasn’t just that she was interested in Feng Caiwei—Feng Caiwei seemed equally interested in her.
That line—don’t reach for the noble moon in the sky—was, upon reflection, quite fascinating.
Feng Caiwei’s understanding of Xiao Yunting clearly came from Feng family intelligence. The Fengs might have fallen on hard times, but a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even in decline, they had clout.
In her past life, it was through Xiao Yunting’s collaboration with the Fengs that the rebellion of the Yunnan tusi was crushed—allowing the Fengs to return to the capital in glory.
They had even helped Empress Feng orchestrate Xiao Yunting’s covert transfer to Mount Longhu.
Clearly, the Fengs had always paid close attention to capital politics.
That kind of attention could be understood—but their cooperation with Xiao Yunting had been hidden even from the Eastern Palace. Even the Crown Prince hadn’t known. How could Empress Feng have known?
If the Feng family couldn’t obtain information from either of those sides, how had they told Feng Caiwei anything?
Unless… someone else was feeding her information.
And who that might be—well, the answer was nearly obvious.
Thinking of Qi Wang, now far from the capital, Qi Yuan let out a quiet laugh.
He always played the victim, as if she had betrayed his love.
But what had he actually done?
He disregarded her personhood, stifled her abilities. Whenever she showed kindness to anyone else, he’d seek to eliminate them completely.
A man like that was simply incapable of loving.
Those who play with fire get burned. The heartless deserve to lose it all.
In this life, Duke Chu’s household was gone, and Consort Liu too—so what about the Fengs?
Qi Yuan lowered her gaze, hiding the killing intent in her eyes.
“The Fengs have arrived in the capital.” At that moment, Empress Feng was also speaking to Xiao Yunting.
A few days ago, Emperor Yongchang had come personally to the empress’s palace to ask about her health and to entrust her with organizing the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival banquet.
This meant he was beginning to elevate the Empress again—imperial relations were thawing.
And Xiao Yunting had been visiting the Empress more frequently since then.
But his mind wandered.
These past days, he kept wondering: what had he done in the previous life that so disappointed Qi Yuan?
Or rather, what kind of man had he been in that “dream” of Qi Yuan’s past life?
The Empress noticed he didn’t respond and waved her hand in front of him.
Only then did Xiao Yunting snap out of it. “Yes. I’ve already accompanied Royal Father to see them.”
The Empress nodded and sighed. “They’ve truly suffered these years. It hasn’t been easy for them to make it to this point.”
Then, smiling, she asked, “Did you see little Caiwei?”
Xiao Yunting shook his head truthfully and relayed what Second Madam Feng had said.
The Empress laughed. “That child is so kind—clearly, she was just trying to make things easier for us, giving us an excuse. She was so tiny back then…”
But Xiao Yunting didn’t think any of this was particularly difficult to handle.
After a brief pause, the Empress continued: “A life-saving debt is no small matter, Yunting…”
Xiao Yunting immediately nodded. “Yes. A debt of gratitude for saving one’s life isn’t trivial. In the future, I’ll confer her a county lady or commandery lady title, let her marry with honor, and provide a generous dowry.”
Repaying a life-saving debt wasn’t hard.
The Empress paused and looked directly at Xiao Yunting, speaking seriously: “That’s not what I meant. Yunting, Caiwei was born extraordinary. Back then, the celestial master even read her fate—it truly is a noble destiny. And the fact is, she really did protect you and keep you safe.”
She didn’t mince words and said directly: “Yunting, I think Caiwei is a good candidate for your Imperial Grandson Consort. You’re of age now. Rather than wait for the Emperor to choose for you, wouldn’t it be better to pick someone we know well? What do you think?”
